A HH-60 helicopter prepares to land during a medical evacuation exercise within the 55km deconfliction zone in Syria, May 27, 2020. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. William Howard)
A total of 22 American service members were wounded as a result of a helicopter mishap in northeastern Syria on June 11, according to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
In a brief statement, the command said that the service members are receiving treatment for their injuries and ten have been evacuated to higher care facilities outside of its area of responsibility. No further details on the mishap were provided.
“The cause of the incident is under investigation, although no enemy fire was reported,” the statement concluded.
Al-Mayadeen TV said that the incident took place at al-Shaddadi base, which is located within a large gas and an oil field in the southern al-Hasakah countryside. The base hosts one of the U.S.-led coalition’s main heliports in the region. Nearly a dozen attack and transport helicopters are usually deployed there.
According to the Beirut-based news channel, the helicopter was landing after returning from a raid in the eastern al-Hasakah countryside.
Source with knowledge on the incident told Al-Mayadeen that it is still unclear whether the mishap was caused by a technical failure, or as a result of an attack on the helicopter with air defense fire just before landing.
The U.S. maintains some 900 troops in Syria under the pretext of fighting ISIS. These troops are deployed between key oil and gas fields in the country’s northeastern region and a garrison blocking the strategic Damascus-Baghdad highway in the southeastern region.
This year, American troops in Syria sustained more losses than before. Three U.S. bases in Deir Ezzor and al-Hasakah, including the one in al-Shaddadi, were attacked with rockets and drones on March 23 and 24. The attacks, which were reportedly carried out by Iranian-backed forces, claimed the life of a U.S. military contractor and left 23 U.S. service members and a second U.S. contractor wounded.
It’s worth noting that a recent report by The Washington Post revealed an alleged plan by Iran’s Quds Force, Hezbollah and the Syrian intelligence to launch more attacks against U.S. troops in the country.
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